Barcelona should prioritise La Masia to signing Gerson from Fluminese

Gerson Santos da Silva is tantalisingly close to being transferred to Barcelona for a reported figure in the region of €15-20 million. The U-20 Brazil international, who has excelled at Fluminese, has repeatedly ignored offers from major European clubs as his first priority is to continue his career at the Camp Nou.

Gerson made his professional debut a mere six months ago but, in that time, he has shown an unusual level of maturity and impressed teammates, coaches and supporters alike with his accurate passing, exquisite dribbling skills and ability to score from long-range positions.

An unusually intelligent player, Gerson is considered the most promising prospect to burst into the Fluminese first team in recent years. Having already conquered several trophies for La Tricolor Carioca at youth level, making the final step into professional football came as the natural next step for the talented youngster.